Take It (Sinclair 1)

The first time Nick was in her room he’d noticed the chairs, but not much else. He was impressed that her master bedroom was so big that she could have a separate seating area with two chairs and a little table separating them. The charcoal, plush chairs were each big enough for two people. Her room was a combination of deep purple, gray, white, and silver.

The wall behind her bed was covered with Moroccan trellis wallpaper. It was light purple, and the design was a variation of silver and white. The rest of the walls were light gray. The bed was covered with a gray bedspread. One of those girly ones with…ruching? Nick didn’t know what it was called, but it wasn’t smooth. The sheets and pillowcases were soft purple and she had millions of decorative white, purple, and gray pillows all over.

He missed that bed. Nick knew it was more the occupant than the bed itself, but he’d had wonderful memories in that bed.

Nick placed the bags on the table and put his gum in a napkin. The television was on, but the volume was muted. Kalilah was looking at him.

“What did we learn, Nick?”

Nick sighed and looked at her. “That I really need to stop jumping to conclusions. And, it sucks just being co-workers.”

She laughed and nodded her head in agreement.

“I promise I was going to trip the next woman that brought you something she cooked.”

Nick chuckled and nodded. “You? Not only do they bring me crazy things, they wait for me to taste it! I had to taste cold lasagna at nine in the morning once. Some of them cannot and should not cook.” Nick waved his hands in the air. “Like…ever. I’m forced to smile politely and say it’s good and throw it away when they’re not looking. Not to mention, Natalia would kill me if I ate some of that stuff. Why was it bothering you? Jealous?”

Nick was awarded with another one of Kalilah’s famous eye rolls. “Not so much jealous, but irritated that they are so transparent! I’m surprised that you haven’t found any panties in your office yet.”

She rolled her eyes again and shook her head. Panties? Nick’s blood heated at the thought of Kalilah leaving her panties in his office. Or better, her leaving her panty-less self in his office. He shifted in his chair. His dick could not handle his fantasies right now. It has been mad at him for the last few weeks. He started eating as a distraction.

“I bet none of them even talked to you before you changed your look. Now, all of a sudden, they’re concerned about how much food you’re getting.”

Nick nodded and responded when he was finished chewing. “It is pretty stupid. It’s not like I would date any of them. Have they not read my dad’s fraternization policy?” Nick noticed Kalilah’s slight flinch. He would have missed it had he not been looking at her. “It’s not like they are my equals professionally,” he amended. “Most of them are the admins of the rest of the VPs. My dad would have a fit. And if the girl is crazy, she could say I used my position to force her. Noooooo, thank you. It would be easier to explain if it was one of my peers.”

Kalilah nodded and continued to eat. Nick watched her for a moment. She was starting to slip into that place she usually went from time to time. Nick supposed it was her thinking place. He wanted to be the person with whom she shared her thoughts. The person she sought for comfort after a bad day. The man that made love to her every night. Her everything.

Nick knew that they were way off course from his goal. The short detour caused by his overreaction taunted him. He would have had her many times by now had he’d kept his cool. He hoped that when their bodies finally connected, she’d open the rest of herself to him. The problem was, he wanted all of her now. Impatience roared through his body, and he had to mentally check himself. Nick had one goal right now – find out where he stood with her.

Nick threw away his trash and asked her the question that had been bugging the shit out of him for the last few weeks.

“What’s with James from Accounts Payables? He follows you around like a love-sick puppy.”

Kalilah’s smile was brilliant, and Nick was instantly jealous. He leaned forward in his chair and placed his forearms on his knees. Luckily, his inner calm bitch slapped him before he could jump to conclusions, and he schooled his face into a neutral expression just in time.

She looked at him and shrugged, causing the sunlight that filtered into her room to caress her smooth shoulder.

“Sometimes, he has legitimate reasons to visit and others, not so much. He visits sometimes more than others. I think it all depends on what I’m wearing that day.” She laughed. “Same thing, though. He’s a subordinate. Why? Jealous?”

Yes. Nick was suddenly grateful that Natalia forced him to do yoga twice a week. It was helping restore his inner calm.

Some of the tension left his shoulders, but he knew he couldn’t lie about not being jealous. He needed to avoid the subject until they were on less shaky ground. Nick took a sip of his juice and asked her a question instead of answering.

“Why aren’t you seeing anyone?”

Nick saw something flash in her eyes before Kalilah smirked. “I see you.”

It was Nick’s turn to roll his eyes. “You know what I mean. Why are you single?”

Kalilah’s ever bright eyes dimmed a little, and her demeanor lost some of its usual lax. She sat up and placed her feet on the ground. Nick knew a defensive pose when he saw one, and he’d quickly determined two things.

Kalilah was going to give him a bullshit answer.

He wasn’t going to accept it.

“Because I’m too busy to date and get to know someone. Not to mention, I would have to find someone to date first. Then once that starts, the relationship itself is so much work.” She started ticking things off with her fingers. “Scheduling time to see each other. Remembering birthdays and anniversaries, worrying about forgetting plans, arguing over who makes more money, wondering if the other person is cheating…”

Yikes. Nick thought he was jaded, but she was revealing way more than she thought. She must have been with some cheating asshole that made less money and wasn’t worth a damn. Things wouldn’t be that way with him. He’d treasure her and treat her like a queen. The next thing she said pulled him out of his thoughts.